


Robotic Souls

by kingachilles



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-06
Updated: 2015-11-28
Packaged: 2018-05-01 00:43:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5185685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingachilles/pseuds/kingachilles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to the world of CompuFeel, a world where you can feel anything you want with the push of a button.  The most powerful corporation in the entire world, CompuFeel, sells only one product, but it is a product that everyone in the world wants to buy.  The H.E.A.R.T. device can make you feel anything, any time of day, it can even make you feel love.  So then why, if everyone in the world wants to buy this device, does CompuFeel keep lowering their prices dramatically more and more?  Who are the mysterious Panel of Ten?  What is really going on in the world of CompuFeel?  Follow Fox Mulder in his search for the truth to these questions...and more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The H.E.A.R.T. device

"Imagine being able to feel whatever you want, whenever you want, no matter what" a voice over the radio says. "Imagine that at any time you choose you can feel confidence, excitement, inspiration, self esteem...even love and all you need is 25 thousand dollars and the ability to press a button! Well now, thanks to CompuFeel, that dream has become a reality..."

"Shit!" exclaims Fox Mulder as he drives to work in stop and go traffic. "Twenty five grand now?!! What the fuck?"

Four years ago in 2013 Mulder bought one of those magnificent devices but for 100 thousand dollars. He thought he was getting a deal at the time but the price has been dropping steadily ever since. The device is called the Human Electrical Anatomical Redistribution Telegraph or H.E.A.R.T. for short. It is an amazing device that causes electrical waves in the brain to create almost any feeling you want. It involves surgically implanting a small computer chip in the brain that is set to a frequency in a special computer that most people wear as a watch. Simply by selecting the desired feeling and pressing a button you can cause that feeling to happen within you in a matter of seconds, making your body's energy field match what is selected on your computer.

The device comes with 11 positive emotions and there are 30 more positive AND negative emotions that you can buy for a thousand dollars a piece. Most people don't bother adding any new emotions to their device though because the original 11 are the best emotions a person can feel. Usually only actors and aspiring actors buy all 30 extra emotions so that they can improve their performances in things like movies, plays, and television shows. With this device no actor has to fake an emotion because they can automatically feel whatever the scene calls for with the push of a button.

The original 11 emotions are excitement, passion, confidence, faith, inspiration, calmness, anticipation, hope, satisfaction, love, and, Mulders personal favorite, self-esteem.  That emotion comes in handy right now because the news he just heard about Compufeel lowering their prices again is enough to send him over the edge.  

Mulder presses a button on his watch and the screen turns on showing his current emotion which is excitement. He always types this in first thing in the morning to give himself a boost of energy. Mulder presses another button and the word on the screen starts to blink. He slides his finger down on the screen and scrolls through the emotions until he comes to self-esteem and then he presses one more button to lock the emotion in. The word on his watch disapears and the current time pops up, once again making his magnificent little computer look just like a regular old wrist watch.

Mulder looks at his face in the rearview mirror. He's 65 years old now and his age is finally starting to show. His hair is getting grayer and thinner all the time, wrinkles are beginning to form on his face, and his eyes don't quite have the same shine that they used to.

"You're not the stud you used to be are you Fox" he says to himself in the mirror. He feels a pang of self pity and remorse at having to grow old.  It's a sinking feeling that Mulder tries to avoid as much as possible nowadays.  He was able to put off his mid-life crisis this long but time catches up to everyone at some point.

After a few moments however the changes start to occur. Mulder feels a nice warm feeling in the pit of his stomach, an uplifting feeling develops in his chest, and an overall sense of wellbeing encompases his entire body. His energy suddenly changes from self pity to an infectious aura of coolness. He smiles at himself in the mirror, "But you're still one handsome son of a bitch" he says to himself.


	2. The New Client

As Mulder admires his distinguished and handsome face in the rearview mirror he hears the car phone ring. He doesn't recognize the number but he presses a button on his dashboard and answers the call anyways.

"Hello you've reached Fox Mulder, who is this?"

"Hi doctor Mulder" the voice says, "My name is Deliano Machelli. I'm looking for a psychologist and I was wondering if you'd be able to take me on as a patient".

The man sounds unenthused and somewhat embarrassed about having to see a psychologist but that's just par for the course with male patients. Mulder can tell just by the tone of the man's voice that he probably has no experience with psychologists and is undoubtedly expecting to be cured of whatever problem he has within a month. None of this is anything new to Mulder, he's seen it all before. He's been a psychologist for 12 years now in the Washington D.C. area and he's dealt with just about every problem imaginable in that time. He recently cured a woman of her claustraphobia so he is happy to take on a new patient.

"You're in luck I just had an opening a week ago" Mulder replies. "How'd you hear about me?"

"One of my co-workers recommended you" Deliano answers, "A woman named Rosanna Parks."

"Oh yeah, I remember her. I have an open spot this Thursday at one o'clock if you're interested."

"Sounds good" Deliano mumbles, "Thank you."

"Of course" Mulder exclaims, "I look forward to seeing you."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days later Mulder greets Deliano in the waiting room of his office.  The man is short and stauky with a defeated, beaten down look in his eyes.  Mulder gets the impression that Deliano was once a tough guy but that life itself has beaten him down.  It's been 17 years since Mulder was an F.B.I. agent but he still profiles everyone he meets.  That kind of conditioning probably never goes away.

"Nice to meet you" Mulder says as he shakes hands with his new client.  Deliano has a firm grip but Mulder can tell that he's forcing it.  He was probably very strong when he was younger but years sitting behind a desk have made him soft.

"Same here" Deliano replies.

"Come on in" Mulder says as he holds the door to his office open.

Deliano sits down on the couch in front of Mulder's desk and looks around the room.  He has to squint to see the framed certifications on the wall.   _This guy is too proud to even wear glasses_ Mulder thinks to himself.   _He must be real desperate if he's coming here._

"Oxford, wow" Deliano says as he reads one of the plaques on the wall.  

"That's where I got my start" Mulder says proudly as he looks at the plaque.  "That was a long time ago.  Another lifetime it seems."

"I know what you mean" Deliano says as he looks off into space, "Sometimes I wonder...well nevermind".

"You can say whatever you want in here" Mulder tells him.  "Go ahead Deliano, finish your thought."

"You can call me Deli."

"Ok, finish your thought Deli."

"Ah I forgot what I was going to say."

 _This guy's gonna be a tough nut to crack_ Mulder thinks to himself.  

"No biggie" Mulder comforts.  "So, what brings you to my office?"

Deli fiddles around with a couch cushion for a few moments before finally opening his mouth.  "I'm thinking of killing myself."

Mulder experiences a sinking feeling in his stomach that mixes with the warmth in his stomach and the uplifted feeling in his chest.  It's always odd to feel anything bad when his H.E.A.R.T. device is making him feel so good.  He still hasn't gotten used to it and it always throws him off.  

Mulder stares at Deli, who is looking at the carpet, and wonders what to say next.  He takes a deep breath and gets his bearings back.  "Why do you want to kill yourself?"

Deli fiddles around with his fingernails for awhile.  "I don't know."

Mulder gets the impression that he's half telling the truth.  "Well we'll figure it out.  Why don't we spend this first session just getting to know each other.  That's usually what I like to do first, simply get to know my clients."

"What'd you want to know?" Deli asks.

"Well, like where do you work?"

"I work in the sanitation department at CompuFeel."

"CompuFeel!" Mulder exclaims, "You must make good money then."

"I do ok" Deli responds.  

"You ever think about getting yourself a heart unit?" Mulder asks.  "That would improve your mood automatically."

"I couldn't afford one until just recently."

"Yeah I heard they lowered the prices again.  Any idea why they keep doing that?"

"No" Deli shrugs.  "Nobody does.  In fact I heard the company is starting to lose money because it costs so much to manufacture the devices and implant them.  I've even heard rumblings of a mutiny at CompuFeel."

"A mutiny!" Mulder laughs.  

Deli smiles.  "Yeah, at least that's what a couple of people were saying, some higher-ups, you know.  I heard that the president of the company, Henry Alrichson, was in danger of losing his position after this last price cut."

"Better get your H.E.A.R.T. unit while you can Deli.  Prices might go up again."

"I'll probably get one soon" Deli responds.  "They have a discount plan for employees so I can get it for even less than 25 thousand."

"There's something to look forward to" Mulder tells Deli.  Psychology 101, always give the suicidal ones something to look forward to.  

Deli squints at Mulders watch.  "You wouldn't happen to have a heart unit would you?"

Mulder smiles as he holds up his wrist.  "You caught me.  Had it for two years now.  Best thing I ever bought Deli.  With this thing I'm never unhappy."

"You better hope Compufeel doesn't put you out of business" Deli jokes.  

Mulder shrugs.  "I'm about ready to retire anyways."

They laugh and Deli starts to open up to Mulder more and more.  Mulder just has a way of getting through to people.  It's the main thing that has made him a successful psychologist.


	3. The World of CompuFeel

After four sessions Deli finally opens up to Mulder about why he wants to kill himself.

"My wife left me about a year ago" Deli tells Mulder, looking like he's about to cry. "She took our two kids and went to California. I haven't seen any of them in over six months. I just feel so alone now."

"We're in the same boat" Mulder says, "My wife left me two years ago. We have two kids as well. They all live in Chicago so I hardly ever see them."

"Do you miss them?" Deli asks.

"Sometimes" Mulder replies. "But you get over these things Deli. You move on and just live your life."

"I don't know if I can do that. I have a constant hole in my heart that I can't fill."

"Would you feel comfortable telling me why she left you?" Mulder asks.

"That's the worst part, I don't even know. We had been growing apart for a few years before she left but she never gave me a solid reason why she wanted to go. I don't know what I did to make her hate me so much. I wish I did know, then maybe I could change."

"It takes two to tango" Mulder tells Deli. "You're not the only one at fault here. She's just as much to blame as you are, maybe even more. You don't need to live with all that guilt."

Deli looks away and struggles to hold back tears. He won't allow himself to cry, even in front of his psychologist. After a few moments of silence Deli changes the subject.

"One good thing at least" Deli begins, "I'm getting my heart unit implanted next month. It only cost me twenty grand."

"Good for you" Mulder exclaims. "That will fill the hole in your heart real fast."

"You think so?" Deli asks.

Mulder chuckles, "Trust me. This heart device has helped me through some very rough times over the past two years. It's the best thing ever created by man.  I actually went and bought 200 shares of stock in CompuFeel right after I got the implant.  Someday everyone is going to have one of these things."

"You might actually want to sell those shares" Deli says.  "I heard a rumor the other day that they're thinking of lowering the prices again."

"Wow" Mulder exclaims.  "What is going on with your company?"

"I don't know" Deli replies, "A lot of people think that Henry Alrichson has lost his mind.  I'm actually a bit worried about the future of this company.  If CompuFeel goes under A LOT of people are going to lose their jobs...including ME!"

Mulder gets a far off look in his eyes as he tries to comprehend why CompuFeel is lowering their prices so dramatically and at such a fast rate.  CompuFeel was created in 2010 and they only sold 1000 H.E.A.R.T. units the first year but they sold them for 5 million dollars each netting the company 5 billion dollars in their first year alone.  Only the extremely rich could afford them at that price of course but they were happy, and proud, to pay it.  Kings, Sultans, famous actors, they all jumped at the chance to buy such an elite piece of merchandise.  

It was the perfect accessory to extreme wealth.  After having amassed huge fortunes and not finding any real happiness in it, THIS was the thing that their money could never buy them.  No longer did rich tycoons have to spend all their time gaining more wealth just to stave off boredom.  No longer did ridiculously wealthy heads of state have to wage war on each other just for something to do.  No longer did tortured actors need the love of millions just to feel good about themselves.  Now these people could simply press a button and they could feel anything they wanted.  It was the answer to everyone's problems, if you were rich of course.

After the success of their first year CompuFeel began their plan to mass-produce their product so that some day it would be available to the middle and even the lower class.  In 2011 they dropped their prices to 1 million dollars and a year after that it went all the way down to 100 thousand dollars apiece.  But it was still too expensive for the average person, even in America, to afford.  The rich and the upper middle class were given the secret to happiness while everyone else had to settle for the lowly CompuFeel stands that sprung up all around the world, especially in Japan.  For 10 dollars a person off of the street could go into one of these places and spend five minutes controlling their emotions with a pale example of the real thing.  They would sit down and put their heads into this giant contraption, that looks like some sort of hair dryer on steroids, and play with the controls.  The hair dryer sends electro-waves through their skull and into their brain simulating the effect of the H.E.A.R.T. unit.  Without direct stimulation however the effect is quite dampened and sometimes it doesn't work at all.  All it really does is whet peoples appetite for a H.E.A.R.T. device of their very own.

In 2014 CompuFeel made big news and made a lot of people happy by slashing their prices to 50 thousand dollars a unit.  By 2015 the price was cut down to 40 thousand making it just in reach of the every man.  CompuFeel sold 450 million units in 2015 but also drew heavy criticism for a large number of botched implantations that ended up giving people brain damage.  Now it is 2017 and CompuFeel has quickly grown into the biggest and most powerful company in the entire world.  It has a product that people want more than life itself and it is even something people are willing to risk brain damage to have.  All of this begs the question - why keep lowering prices when millions upon millions of people in this world would spend everything they have to own one of these H.E.A.R.T. devices?  Nobody, not even Fox Mulder, has an answer to that question.  


	4. A Night on the Town

After Deli gets his H.E.A.R.T. implant he decides that he doesn't need to see a psychologist anymore and breaks the news to Mulder at their final session.

"I understand" Mulder says when Deli tells him, "These heart devices are like cure-alls for emotional problems."

"Plus I can't afford to see you anymore" Deli says with a smile on his face, "I drained my savings paying for this thing. But you were right Mulder, it was definitely worth it!"

"Have you tried all of the emotions yet?" Mulder asks.

"Yeah" Deli replies, "They're all good but my favorite is love of course. It fills the hole that was there for so long after my wife left me."

"My favorite is self esteem for some reason" Mulder says. "I hardly ever even use the love setting."

"Self esteem is good too" Deli agrees.

"Well" Mulder sighs, "It's been nice knowing you. I'll miss you."

"Yeah I'm gonna miss you too" Deli replies. "Maybe we can hang out sometime...since I'm not a patient anymore."

"Sounds like fun!" Mulder exclaims. "Hey, I got an idea. How about we go bar hopping this Saturday. To celebrate your new implant. Drinks are on me."

"Great!" exclaims Deli. "I'd love that."

"Maybe you'll meet somebody new to help you get over your wife even more."

"That'd be awesome" Deli says. "What about you Mulder? You ever find someone new to replace YOUR wife?"

"Just about every weekend" Mulder replies.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days later Mulder and Deli are in a cab ready to do their bar hopping. Mulder sets his watch to self esteem.

"What's your watch set to?" Mulder asks Deli.

"Excitement!" Deli exclaims.

"Try setting it to self esteem" Mulder suggests. "It'll make you better with the ladies."

"How's that?" asks Deli as he fiddles with his watch and sets it to self esteem.

"Women pick up on that kind of self confidence" Mulder explains. "I've tried to pick up women feeling every other emotion but NOTHING works as good as self esteem. Trust me, you'll definitely get laid if you set your device to self esteem."

When Mulder and Deli get to the first bar they saunter in like they're the hottest thing in town. Although Mulder is over the hill and Deli is short and fat, they both have a swagger about them that catches the eye of some women at a table across the room.

"Check them out" Mulder nudges Deli, pointing at five attractive women glancing at them from across the bar.

"Nice!" Deli exclaims. "So, you think you'll find the woman of your dreams tonight?" Deli says with a big smile.

"I already have" Mulder mutters. "The problem with finding the woman of your dreams though is that they end up becoming a nightmare. It's better just to have fun. After all, isn't that what life is all about?"

"Got a point there" Deli agrees.

Mulder and Deli walk over to the ladies at the table with a cool energy about them that is palpable. They are like two powerful sharks searching for prey, prey that they know they will catch.

"Ladies night out huh?" Mulder says as he approaches the women. He says it with a cocky grin and a seductive tone in his voice. He is like a snake charmer, controlling the beast in any woman he can find.

"Any problem with that?" asks the most talkative of the women in a playful tone. "Girls know how to have fun too ya know."

Mulder automatically decides that he likes this woman the most. He likes women who are easy and who stick out, luckily for him this woman qualifies for both of these categories. She has a low cut top on that exposes her giant breasts. Her hair is big, blond, and perfectly sculpted. She has bright red lipstick on to match her bright red blouse. Her eyes convey an abundance of energy and a lack of thought. As if she couldn't get any better her body language screams "come and get it!"

Mulder slides into the booth and sits right next to her. "Mind if me and my buddy join you? It's hard to find women that know how to have fun these days."

"Sure" the loud woman replies. "I'm Tina and these are my friends Lisa, Sharline, Janet, and Mary. Mary doesn't talk much but you know what they say about the quiet ones."

Deli sits next to Mary with great expectations on his mind. "I'm Deli and that's Mulder."

Tina's eyebrow goes up. "Not a very sexy name for a man as nice looking as you" she says to Mulder.

"My first name's Fox" he replies. "I just like Mulder better."

"FOX!" Tina says excitedly, "Now THAT fits you. Why do you like being called Mulder? That name reminds me of mold."

"I don't even remember" Mulder tells her truthfully, "That's just the name I chose for some reason."

"What kind of name is Deli?" asks Janet, the bitch of the group.

"That was a nickname given to me when I was growing up.  I spent a lot of time eating at the local deli.  Believe it or not I used to be even fatter than I am now."

Everybody laughs except Janet who doesn't seem to have a good sense of humor.  

"So what do you two do for a living?" asks Lisa.  

"I'm a psychologist and Deli here works at CompuFeel."

"Oh wow" Tina exclaims, "A couple of big shots."

"I'm not a high level executive or anything" Deli sighs, "I just work in the sanitation department."

"Oh" Tina says, "Well do you have one of those heart things at least?"

"Yeah I just got one" Deli tells her as he shows his watch to the ladies.  "Mulder has one too."

"I wish I had one of those" Tina pouts.  "What's it like having one?"

"It's great!" Mulder exclaims.  "I haven't had a day go by since I got it where I didn't feel AT LEAST really good.  It's the greatest thing man ever invented in my opinion."

"I'd be kind of scared to own one of those" Janet interjects.  "I mean, what if somebody steals it?  They could make you feel whatever they wanted to and you'd have no control over your own emotions."

"There's safety precautions against things like that" Deli tells her.  "First of all most heart devices don't even have any bad emotions on them that you can feel.  And if your watch does get stolen all you have to do is go to your local CompuFeel dealer and have the frequency changed to a new watch.  It's all very safe."

Mulder and Deli spend a couple of hours talking to the ladies and having fun.  Mulder gets Tina's phone number and Deli manages to barely get a phone number from Sharline.  They leave happy and move on to the next bar.  Four bars and six phone numbers later, Mulder and Deli find themselves at a dive bar on the outskirts of Washington D.C.  It's one o'clock in the morning now and the two swingers are nicely plastered, especially Deli.  

"Wow" a drunk Deli exclaims, "Slim pickin's in this bar."

Mulder laughs.  "What'd ya say we have one more drink and call it a night?"

"Yeah I'd say I'm about ready to pass out" Deli says as he stumbles over to the nearest bar stool.  Mulder sits down next to him and orders two long island iced tea's.

Deli looks over and sees Mulder fiddling around with his watch.  "Watcha typin in there?"

"Excitement" Mulder says in a much more subdued tone than Deli.  "It'll help keep me awake."

"That's a good idea!" Deli shouts.  "Lemme try that!"

Deli fools around with his watch and starts laughing.  "Wow, I can't even see the screen.  I mean I can see it but there's four of them."

Deli starts laughing histericaly and Mulder tries to calm him down.  He leans over and whispers to Deli.  "Keep your voice down Deli.  I don't like the looks of some of the people in this bar.  Try not to let them know you've got a heart device."

"Ah good idea buddy" Deli says.  "Wouldn't want anyone taking my new toy now would I?!  HEY!  Nobody take my...what'd ya call this thing again?  A human anatomical telegrapher thingamawhatchit?"

Deli laughs his ass off and Mulder shakes his head.  He'd beginning to see, at least one reason, why Deli's wife left him.  He's a terrible drunk.

"I'm calling a cab" Mulder says as he takes out his phone and speed dials the cab company.  "Try typing calm into your watch Deli.  Maybe you'll go to sleep and stop being a jackass."

 "Hey!" Deli exclaims.  "I'm not a jackass!  I'm one of you now Mulder.  I'm a heart club member."

Deli laughs as he waves his watch around and shouts to whoever will listen to him.  "Check this out everybody!  Bet you guys never seen a watch like this.  That's because it's a special watch.  It's a watch that makes you feel things.  Now I'm special...because I feel things...HA!"

Deli falls off of his stool because he's laughing so hard.  Mulder looks around and studies the faces that are all focused on him and Deli right now.  Most of them look pretty harmless but there are two men in the back of the bar that Mulder doesn't like the looks of.  

"Cab will be here in five minutes" Mulder says as he picks Deli up off of the floor.  "Come on Deli, time to get you out of here...before you make an even bigger fool of yourself."

Mulder helps Deli outside and props him up against a telephone pole as they wait for the cab.

"What're we doin out here" Deli asks, "It stinks out here."

"That's because we're next to some garbage cans Deli" Mulder explains.  This sends Deli into hysterics and he has to hug the telephone pole to keep from falling on his face.

"Here Deli" Mulder says as he grabs Deli's wrist and plays with his watch, "I'm gonna set your watch to excitement so you can sober up a little."

"Ah thanks Mulder, you're the best dude."

As Mulder is fiddling around with Deli's watch, two men brush past them and head down the alleyway where the garbage cans are.  Mulder gets a strange vibe off of them and then he remembers that the alley way is a dead end.  This sends him into a mild panic.

"C'mon Deli" Mulder says forcefully, "Stop screwin around.  Lets go back into the bar and wait for the cab in there."

"Why?" Deli asks with a confused look on his face.  "The cab's gonna be here any second."

All of a sudden the two men that Mulder noticed in the bar come storming out of the alleyway and push Mulder and Deli to the ground.  

"Hey buddy!" Deli squeals, "What's the big deal here?"

One of the men holds up a small machete and the mood changes drastically.  Now Mulder and Deli have a strange mixture of excitement and intense fear inside them.  This paradoxical combination of feelings throws them both off and they don't know how to react.

"Take off those watches" one of the men says menacingly.  

"What the hell are you gonna do with our watches?" Deli blurts out.  "You need the im..." 

"Alright" Mulder cuts Deli off before he gives the men any ideas about splitting open their heads.  "We'll do it, just calm down."

"I'm not doin shit!" Deli yells defiantly.  He reaches up to give the men the middle finger and the man with the machete takes something extra.  With one powerfully hateful and jealous swing the man cuts Deli's hand clean off and his precious watch falls to the ground with the rest of his wrist.  

Deli starts screaming in agony and Mulder panics and starts running as fast as he can down the street.  One of the men pulls out a pocket knife and chases after him.  

As he's running down the street, feeling the rising sensation of excitement along with the contracted feeling of intense fear, Mulder wonders what to do next.  He's much older than the man who is chasing him and there isn't a chance in hell that he's going to win an endurance race against him.  This thought sends him into even MORE of an excited panic and he runs even faster, as fast as his old legs can carry him.  

All of a sudden it occurs to Mulder that he has been in far more dangerous situations than this before.  He glances back and sees that the man chasing him only has a small pocket knife.  The fear subsides a little and Mulder is able to think a little more clearly.  Suddenly it dawns on him that he has a choice, he can focus on the excitement in his chest or the fear in his chest.  He focuses on the excitement, that magnificent feeling of tingling and upliftment.  He remembers feeling that many times before, a long time ago when he was still an F.B.I. agent.  It was one of the reasons he loved his job so much, that feeling of excitement he would get whenever he was close to danger or close to solving a case and finding the truth.  

_What the hell am I running for?  I can take this guy.  I'm trained to put down losers like this._

Most of the fear subsides and the excitement takes over, just like back in the old days.  Mulder suddenly stops in his tracks and throws an elbow right into the man's nose.  The man drops his pocket knife as his nose explodes and blood flies everywhere.  He heads face first into the ground and Mulder turns him over, gets on top of him, and punches him in the chin knocking him senseless.  

For a brief moment Mulder feels an up-swelling of pride and accomplishment to mix with his excitement and fading fear.  Then he remembers that his friend is down the street being attacked by a man with a machete.  Mulder picks up the pocket knife and heads back to the scene of the crime to try and save Deli.

When Mulder gets back to the bar he sees Deli squirming around in a pool of blood, his hand lying next to him.  The man with the machete is long gone and so is Deli's watch.  Mulder immediately pulls out his phone and calls an ambulance.

"My watch" Deli moans, "The bastard took my new watch."

"Don't worry about the watch Deli, we'll get it replaced.  It's your hand we need to worry about right now."

Mulder takes off his belt and uses it as a turnacite to help keep some of Deli's blood in his body.  The ambulance gets there in two minutes and Mulder accompanies Deli to the nearest hospital.  

 

 


	5. Things That Never Change

The Next morning Mulder wakes up in the hospital waiting room. There's blood all over his clothes but it doesn't disturb him in the least because his watch is set to calm. Mulder yawns and shakes his head to try and get himself going. He automatically reaches for his watch and scrolls through the settings. He almost enters excitement into it but changes his mind and puts in confidence. He had so much excitement last night that he doesn't think his heart can handle any more this early in the morning.

Mulder feels a rising sensation in his chest that almost goes up into his throat. He loves the feeling of confidence and it wakes him right up. He goes to the bathroom and splashes some water on his face then uses the disinfecting soap to get as much stale blood off of his hands as he possibly can. Then he goes down the hall and gets a pack of twinkies and a can of coke from the vending machines. He goes back to the waiting room and approaches the nurse behind the counter.

"Excuse me ma'am" Mulder says energetically, "Could you tell me how Deliano Machelli is doing?"

"Certainly" the nurse replies as she looks on the computer in front of her. "He's in stable condition. You want to see him?"

"Yes"

"Go right down the hallway to room 20b."

"Thanks" Mulder says politely as he takes off down the hall. When he gets to the room he opens the door and sees poor Deli laying there all by himself with tubes coming out of his good hand. Mulder sits down next to him and starts shaking him.

"Hey, are you still alive Deli?"

Deli, who is very drugged up, still in a lot of pain, and still feeling the now annoying excitement from his H.E.A.R.T. unit, looks at Mulder like he's an asshole.

"Not too fucking good" Deli barks. "Why the hell are you waking me up right now?"

"No need to be rude buddy" Mulder barks back. "I know you're in pain but Jesus, have some respect for the guy who saved your life."

"Thanks for helping me Mulder but could you please leave now" Deli says, on the verge of losing his cool. "I feel like shit and I don't need you sitting next to me acting like the happiest moron in the world. I had just fallen asleep and I'd rather not be awake right now if you don't mind."

"Here" Mulder says as he puts a twinkie next to Deli's mouth, "have a twinkie. I KNOW that will cheer you up."

"Goddamnit!" Deli exclaims, "Why don't you try punching love into your watch or something. Maybe then you'll have some compassion and leave me the fuck alone."

"I don't plan on sticking around anyways" Mulder says as he bites into the twinkie. "I just wanted to see if they got your hand back on or not. Looks like they did a good job."

"It doesn't feel like they did a good job" Deli replies.

"Oh well" Mulder shrugs as he gets up to leave, "I'm going home to take a shower. You want anything before I go? Chips? A soda or something?"

Deli exhaustedly shakes his head and closes his eyes. "No thanks. Just go."

"See ya later Deli" Mulder says energetically as he joyfully exits the room.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few weeks later Mulder is forced to visit his ex-wife, Dana Scully, and their two kids for Thanksgiving. He takes a plane to O'Hare airport and then rents a car and drives to Dana's house.

Before Mulder gets out of the car he switches the setting on his watch to love.  As he walks up the steps to Dana's house he starts to feel a warm loving sensation spread from his chest and throughout his entire body.  It is like a mixture of self esteem, confidence, safety, and excitement all at the same time.  As he knocks on the door he wonders why he doesn't set his device to love more often since it feels so good.

"Hey dad" Mulders 15 year old daughter Laura says as she rolls her eyes.

"How's it going?" Mulder says with a loving hug.

"Fine" Laura replies as she tries to hold back a smile.

"Dad's home!" exclaims Mulder's 11 year old son James as he comes running up to him.

"Hey son!  It's been awhile, you're getting so big."

"Maybe you should try visiting them more than twice a year" Dana comments from the kitchen.

"I should" Mulder agrees with love in his heart.  "I'll tell you guys what, I'll try to make it over here at least once a month from now on."

"Cut the bulshit dad" Laura laughs.  

"That'd be awesome!" James shouts.

Dana comes walking into the room wiping her hands on a dish towel.  She's a lot younger than Mulder but they practically look the same age at this point.  Her red hair is starting to go grey and she has more wrinkles on her face than Mulder does, mostly frown marks.  "Please don't make promises you don't intend on keeping Mulder."

 "I do intend on keeping it" Mulder counters.  "I really do want to see you guys more often."

Dana walks over to Mulder and takes hold of his wrist.  She pushes a button on his watch and inspects it.  "That's because your heart watch is set to love right now.  Tomorrow you'll have forgotten all about us."

"Don't be ridiculus" Mulder says as he lovingly kisses her forehead, "I think about you guys all the time."

Dana chuckles and then walks back into the kitchen.  "Dinners in one hour mister family man."

Mulder goes outside with James and tosses around the football for awhile until dinner is ready.  Then they all sit down at the dinner table, say a prayer, and dig in.

"So why don't you come see us more often?" Laura prods her father.  

"I'm so busy with work Laura" Mulder says as a small knot forms in his stomach.  It quickly disapears however as it is washed away by a warm sensation of love.  "I'm thinking of retiring soon though so that will free me up to visit more."

"You'll never retire Mulder" Dana mumbles.  "You're obsessed with your work, you've always been that way."

"Some things never change" Laura goads her father with a smile on her face.  She loves to mess with Mulder in that way, it just gives her a certain kind of rush.

"Stop picking on dad!" James yells at his mother and sister.  "Everytime he comes over you guys are always mean to him."

"Thanks for sticking up for me James.  I appreciate it."

"No problem" James says proudly.  

"You'll understand what he's like when you get older" Laura smiles.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mulder asks as a small amount of sadness creeps into his chest.  This time he has to take a deep breath to help get rid of it as the warm loving sensation comes in and overpowers it almost as soon as he's done exhaling.

Laura looks down at her food with a grin on her face but Mulder can tell that there is some pain behind that grin.  

"I really do love you guys" Mulder defends himself.  "You're my kids, of course I care about and love you.  It's just that you live so far away and I'm so busy and...I don't know.  I wish things were different too sometimes."

"Sometimes is the operative word here Mulder" Dana says.  "It's that stupid heart device.  Ever since you got that computer chip implanted in your head you've been a different person."

"We've been over this a million times" Mulder complains.  

"And you still don't see it!" Dana yells.  She quickly regains her composure.  "It made you into a selfish jerk...and you've been that way ever since."

"Maybe you should get one" Mulder suggests lovingly.  "It would make you feel so much better than you do..."

"I don't want to hear it Mulder" Dana says sharply as she goes back to eating her food.  

"It's not like I wouldn't buy you one" Mulder continues innocently.  "They're only 25 thousand now.  Maybe I could get you one for Christmas."

"I don't want it!!!" Dana yells as food flies out of her mouth.  "I don't care how good it makes you feel, I don't want to be like you."

She quickly calms herself down and recomposes herself.  "And the price just went down to 15 thousand by the way.  I just heard it on the news.  Guess that means this whole world is going to be full of jerks pretty soon."

"Fifteen thousand?" Mulder asks.  "Are you sure?"

"I told you I just saw it on the news."

 Mulder spends the rest of the dinner in quiet contemplation.  Why would they cut the price so drastically?  Deli said that they were losing money already and now they're lowering the price by over 40 percent?  This makes absolutely no sense to Mulder and he spends the rest of the evening trying to figure this mystery out.  What could it possibly be?  Is Henry Alrichson losing his mind after all? Or are there greater forces at work here.  

For the life of him Mulder can't come up with a decent answer to this question that he's mulling over.  For most people it would be like a thorn in their side but for Mulder it is a source of excitement and wonder.  He has always loved mysteries and solving them still gives him quite a thrill.  Even with his H.E.A.R.T. unit pulsing the emotion of love into his body Mulder prefers to focus on the feeling of wonder and excitement that has been sparked in him due to this great mystery of CompuFeel.  There is something deep down in his soul that drives him to solve mysteries and his watch can't override that.  Despite being kicked out of the F.B.I. seventeen years ago, despite having this great piece of technology in his brain that makes him feel so good, and despite being an old man, Mulder still loves solving mysteries as much as he did as when he was a kid.  The bigger the mystery, the more he wants to solve it.  That's just the way he is down to his very core.  That's the main reason his soul came to this planet.  He is a detective at heart, a seeker, and some things never change. 

The next morning Mulder gives everyone a hug and says his goodbye's.  He gets in his rental car and automatically reaches for his watch.  He sets it back to self esteem and that great feeling of love turns into the familiar feelings of self confidence that Mulder prefers.  For some reason he doesn't want to feel love.  It's like he doesn't believe he deserves it.  Like he feels guilty about that emotion being fake.

 

 


End file.
